A Semi-Daily Advocate of the Modern School, Industrial Unionism, and
Individual Liberty.

Friday, February 04, 2011

Checks and Balances

We haven't really experienced unified federal government -- including a solidly filibuster-proof senate majority -- in a long time. In fact, it's probably almost impossible based on current senate rules. But the thing about education policy in Providence is we just went through a brief period of unusually unified, activist governance at the federal and state levels and more or less local level as well (although what PPSD really thinks is hard to discern). There was pretty much a year there where there was literally no way to stop, check, slow down, or even really comment on a whole series of rushed, poorly-thought out reforms. Just knowing that there will be people at the state level willing to listen and consider rational arguments makes a huge difference.